


Katja

by Burgie



Series: SSOWeek Round 2 [1]
Category: Star Stable
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 10:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7098613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katja entries for the second SSO week held on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Echo

Katja’s return to Jorvik was not as elegant as Jessica’s, but nor was it as debilitating as Sangordha’s. Still, though, Stalker made it back better than she did. He could still stand.

The return to Jorvik had hurt too. The light of the portal, so soothing on Jorvik, was burning here. But Sangordha beckoned her from the other side of it, so she had to come. The passage through the portal burned and twisted in a way that was _wrong_ , making her cry out in pain. There were real tears too, but not brought about by sadness this time. Not like all the tears she’d cried in Pandoria.

And then she was through, and lying shivering on the cold, wet metal platform of the helipad on the Dark Core base.

“Welcome back,” said her father. He looked fine now. His recovery had gone well. She could only hope that hers would too.

“She’s weak,” said Jessica. “Ten years in Pandoria can’t be good. Move her closer to the portal.”

Katja groaned and tried to drag herself closer but her fingers only twitched slightly in the slick wetness. She whimpered and closed her eyes. Someone picked her up, but she didn’t know who. It didn’t matter, as long as it was someone who wouldn’t pity her for being weak. Someone’s hair tickled her face, so that explained exactly who it was. Only Jess had Friesian-like thick, glossy hair.

“No, it hurts,” she tried to protest, but all that came out was a horrible whining noise that couldn’t have possibly come from her. She was strong and powerful and able to control others with only a kiss and a thought, damn it, she shouldn’t be like this. That was the real her, not this… this echo.

“I know it hurts,” said Jess. “But this is the quickest way to become strong again.”

“How?” she tried to ask, but again, no words came out. Feeling this weak and helpless was awful and she wanted no part of it.

“Father taught us how to read minds,” said Jess. “It makes missions much easier, that’s for sure.”

Katja could see the usefulness in mind-reading and telepathy. It was one thing to influence another’s mind, but this was a whole new power. She wondered when she would be deemed strong enough to learn it too.

“Later,” said Jess. It sounded like a promise. “Yes, that is a promise. This time, we’re all going to go out on missions together except for father. Someone has to hold down the fort.”

There was a fort on Jorvik.

“I know but I was speaking metaphorically. Trust me, if I could take that place, I’d rule it.” Jessica grinned and chuckled.

“Yeah only you can’t because the Warrior’s brother is there and she has that place under close guard to keep an eye on him,” said Sabine. “And I’m not strong enough to take her out.”

“Why did you have to mention her?” asked Jess, flinching back at Katja’s anger. She might not be capable of speech yet, but she could still growl.

Sabine’s mention of the wielder of Lightning had brought on a tirade of hateful thoughts towards her. She’d banished her to that place without a thought, just to save her brother and pony. Really, it was all because of her that Katja was this weak, pathetic echo of herself. It was because of her that she was currently lying in front of the portal limply, trembling against the painful waves of dark energy that normally felt so soothing and reviving. Would she be happy to see her now? Like this? Powerless but still as pretty as ever, like some doll. Trapped in her own body like it was a prison.

Silently, she asked Jess to turn her over so the others wouldn’t see her cry. The others probably heard her request, but they didn’t say anything if they did.

Stalker was taken off somewhere onshore, and she missed him. But at least one of her sisters was nice enough to stay with her and keep her company. Jess didn’t say anything, busy with some small rectangular device.

“It’s a phone,” said Jess. “A new one. Those old chunky things are out of fashion now, everyone these days has a touchscreen one. They break easy, though.”

Katja kind of felt like that too, if she was honest. Slim but easy to break.

“That was awful,” said Jess. “Just try to sleep I guess. Don’t think or worry about anything.”

But it hurt. It hurt too much to sleep. Katja imagined that this must have been what Sabine felt like when she’d been repelled by the white magic protecting the Stonering.

“I wouldn’t know,” said Jess. “I didn’t have to heal when I came back.”

Katja swore silently and wished for a pillow. And a blanket. And to not be out in the frigging rain.

“The rain will stop soon,” said Jess. “We had to ask a witch to bring a storm for us to disguise the flash of the portal.” Well, that made sense.

“Want me to read to you so you go to sleep?”

Katja glared at the portal in front of her. She wasn’t a baby, even if she was the youngest and currently crying like one.

“Alright. Sing you a lullaby?”

Katja angrily but still silently snapped at Jess to shut up. She was in enough pain as it was without being patronised. Mercifully, Jessica laughed and returned to swiping her thumbs over her phone.

The rain continued to fall. No matter how cold it was, it couldn’t soothe the burn of the portal. But it was just cold enough to be uncomfortable.


	2. Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katja was so sure that she was going to win the Devil's Gap race

The first race with Alex had been easy. Very easy. Because that time, Alex had no choice but to lose. There was no way that a little pony could jump over the massive tree that she’d put in the way. But this time, Katja had no such help. 

As a result, she was extremely nervous while Alex set out the rules of the race and counted them down. Of course, she tried not to look nervous. She didn’t want Alex to have any reason to be too confident, after all. That would only make her insufferable. Not that Katja would have to deal with that if Alex did win.

No, her fate would be much worse if Alex won. She’d be banished to Pandoria, probably the darkest place of it. And nobody would talk to her there. The shadows would leech her power or something equally horrible, and her master would be furious. She suppressed a shiver and kept staring ahead.

And then the race started. Stalker reared, which let Tin Can get a head start. Katja cursed him and struggled to catch up, destroying the first jump in her haste. She was glad that this wasn’t a jumping competition, that would have cost her time. She could see Alex up ahead, a spot of gold in the darkness of Devil’s Gap. Her heart fluttered with first attraction and then fear as Stalker’s hoof just barely slipped off the road. She had to concentrate, not let herself get distracted by pretty girls.

With a new determination, Katja tried to keep up with Alex. That girl was quick. Maybe accepting her challenge had been a bad idea. Stalker destroyed a pile of logs with a clumsy failed jump, and Katja swore again and wiped tears from her eyes. She didn’t want to fail. She didn’t want to be banished to Pandoria. She just wanted to please her master and maybe, maybe… maybe get the girl she wanted.

But then the stable came into view and Katja could see Alex and Tin Can already standing there. She’d lost.

Failed.

“No,” she whispered, blinking away tears. She slowed Stalker as they got close to the stables and sniffled, wiping away her tears. Alex didn’t see that, but she did see her ride up. Katja could feel herself disappearing already. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and one that she didn’t much care for. This had only happened once, years ago. When the Pandorian Code had first been written. Sangordha was supposed to have kept it hidden somewhere safe, but clearly he hadn’t.

“I won the race,” said Alex, “now you have to honour the deal.”

“Yes, Alex,” said Katja, looking downwards. “I have no choice.” And she didn’t. She was going to disappear soon, she could feel it. But she wasn’t going out without a fight. Not while there was still a spark of life left in her. “But don’t think you won! My master’s plans have progressed too far, you can’t stop us now. Soon, all of Jorvik will burn and you will burn with it. I will be banished from this place.” It was happening faster now, and her heart twisted painfully. “I could have saved you, Alex. But it’s too late now. You can go get your brother now. Buck is gone.” Just like she would be soon. “Goodbye, Alex.”

A shimmering white light surrounded Katja and Stalker, and then they were gone. Forever.


	3. Fashion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katja puts on a little fashion show for Alex

“Did you know that I used to be a model?” asked Katja. Her house was empty (probably because she was the only one who could be bothered keeping up the façade that it was an actual home), so it was just her and Alex sitting together on the couch. Well, she was sitting, Alex was comfortably sprawled over her.

“No,” said Alex. “But aren’t you a bit too young to be a model?”

Whoops. “No, I’m not. Many girls model when they’re young,” said Katja, using some of her compulsion to make Alex believe her. It probably wasn’t needed, considering how little the other girl knew about the subject, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Oh yeah. That makes sense,” said Alex. “You’re pretty enough to be a model. Really pretty.” She blushed.

“I know,” said Katja. “And yet I chose to have you as my girlfriend.”

“It’s not like you had much choice,” said Alex. “I’m the only other one in school who… likes girls.” She mumbled the last two words into Katja’s leg.

A distraction was needed, so Katja went back to the first topic again.

“Yes, I modelled for many companies,” she said. “The last one was a perfume one. The thing about modelling is that it’s not a long-term career. Models always have to look for their next contract. And the companies are always looking for someone younger and prettier to sell their product better.”

“How can anyone be prettier than you?” asked Alex, sitting up to look at her better. “You’re so pretty, you’re like an angel or something.”

Oh, if only she knew just how very wrong she was. Katja giggled.

“Thank you for the compliment,” she said. “It’s lovely to be adored.” She rewarded her with a kiss and once more felt the fluttering in her belly. That had started around the same time that she’d stopped using magic in the kisses.

“Well, it’s true,” said Alex. “Do you have any pictures of your modelling days?”

None from this century. Katja desperately tried to think of some of the more recent ones and landed on the perfume one that she’d mentioned before.

“Actually, yes,” she said. “It’s on a perfume box. I’ll go and get it for you.” She stood and left the room quickly, hoping that Alex wouldn’t get nosy and snoop around. Certain other family members liked to keep their war trophies on display, and Alex might get a bit suspicious if she saw Jessica’s battle axe collection.

“I remember that,” said Alex when Katja finally returned with the box. “My mum wears that. I saw the box in her room. I never thought it was you though.”

“Yes,” said Katja. She sat back down beside Alex and handed her the perfume box. “The photographers did some editing to make the photos look more magical. It worked, didn’t it?” She smiled and now it was her turn to be kissed. The fluttery feeling returned, doubled in intensity.

“Yes it did,” said Alex. “You look even more beautiful in the pictures. But you’re already beautiful. Like a supernatural beauty.”

Katja giggled and found herself blushing. 

“You flatter me,” she said. 

“Well I have one more thing to say and it’ll probably make me sound stupid and girly but only do it if you want to,” said Alex. “I-I want you to put on a little runway show for me. Please?” She looked so cute, blushing and looking up at Katja like that, that Katja had to say yes.

“Okay,” she said. “I think I have some clothes to model. Or I can borrow some of my sisters’.” Jess had some attire that was absolutely royal and which she wasn’t allowed to wear ever, but Katja really didn’t care. And Sabine had a lot of pretty clothes.

“I look forward to it,” said Alex, grinning at her.

Katja decided to model one of Jessica’s princess dresses first. It took forever to change into, or it felt that way, but the end result was worth it. Alex was so shocked to see her in it that at first she was speechless and then she pulled her into a kiss. Katja hadn’t thought Alex capable of such passion, yet here she was.

“I take it that you liked that one?” asked Katja when Alex finally let her go.

“Yes,” said Alex. “Very much.” She kissed her gently and then watched her walk back into Jessica’s bedroom.

Katja leaned against the door after closing it behind her and wondered why her heart was racing. She knew what it was, but she didn’t want to accept it. She was supposed to lure Alex in and bring her over to their side so that they could use her powers when she developed them. She wasn’t supposed to go and fall in love with her.

But she was already over the edge. May as well let the fall happen. Katja changed into another of Jessica’s many dresses and returned to her adoring audience.


	4. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katja practices the Devil's Gap race before the race with Alex.

Devil’s Gap was a cold and dark place. And boring. So terribly _boring_.

“I’m bored,” said Katja, pacing around the campfire again. It wasn’t the first time she’d said that, either.

“Maybe you should ride up and down the road,” said Buck. “You might meet her on the way.”

“Maybe,” said Katja. She sighed and stopped her pacing in front of Stalker. “Yeah, okay. Stay here and make sure the kid doesn’t walk off a cliff or something.”

She climbed into the saddle, wondering again if maybe wearing pants would’ve been a better idea. But pants didn’t show off her legs as well as her skirt did.

Katja rode towards the winding, perilous road. She hadn’t ridden it before, having come to the campsite from the other road, but it wasn’t too hard. There were a few obstacles, though, which she jumped with ease. She made sure not to bump into the rickety fences or clip the logs that were piled up into jumps.

Maybe other riders used this road to practice some of the riskier manoeuvres. Or it could be a difficult race. She wondered how many people had fallen to their deaths here. Probably a lot. Maybe it was even a place where people came to kill themselves.

The bridge that crossed a gap in the road was a little rickety. It was also dangerous, having no railings or foundation to speak of. It was just a bunch of boards on ropes.

“It would be a shame if the bridge broke,” said Katja with a smile. And then she laughed, which turned into a cackle. Still cackling, she rode over the bridge a few times, and then left it hanging onto the rope by a mere thread.

Now there would be no way for Alex to get back from Devil’s Gap. Not that she ever would. As soon as she got there, Katja intended to break her. She wouldn’t be leaving. If Katja ever wanted to be as good as her sisters, she had to actually put into practice her evil plots. She had to see them through. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be a very effective general.

Katja returned to the campsite triumphantly and stood in front of the fire to wait for her victim to arrive. This would be only too easy.


	5. Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pandoria left its mark on Katja

When Katja was back to full strength, she couldn’t go out immediately. For the first few days, she was told to stay on the oil rig. She called it babysitting, especially in front of Justin.

“I’m an adult,” he’d protested the first time she’d said that.

“No you’re not,” said Katja. “And anyway, I used to literally babysit you.”

“That’s impossible,” said Justin. “You look younger than me. At least a year younger than that girl from Moorland.”

“I’ve told you a billion times now that I’m immortal,” said Katja, and then paced back across the room with a growl. She hated that her father left her here to babysit while her sisters went out to do all the cool things.

But then that changed.

“Justin has expressed his desire to be allowed to remain on the base on his own,” said Sands. “Katja, you can come with us this time.”

“Yes!” she cheered, “Finally!”

“Don’t get too excited,” Sands warned her. “You won’t be doing anything. You’ll just be following us around.”

“Okay,” said Katja. That was a cold bucket of water to the face. But at least it would mean getting off this base.

“Also you have to wear this,” said her father, and gave her a grey outfit like Sabine’s red one.

“Am I being punished?” asked Katja. She knew that Jess had a black outfit, so why couldn’t she have a white one?

“No, of course not,” said her father. “We just have to be careful, and grey blends in better. You’re meant to be hiding, you don’t have the defensive magic that Sabine does.”

“Because you don’t trust me with it,” Katja muttered as she changed into her outfit in her bedroom. She’d made one mistake, and hadn’t being banished for ten years made up for it?

Being back on Jorvik felt better than being on the oil rig, if only barely. Katja still didn’t have her horse, but Jess didn’t appear to have one either. Of course Sabine rode around proudly on Kaahn, rubbing it in her face.

“Sabine, don’t antagonise your sister,” said their father after Katja swiped at Sabine. “And Katja, don’t take the bait.”

“Children,” said Jessica with a roll of her eyes.

“So what are we meant to be doing?” asked Katja. Sands had led them to a seemingly-empty field.

“Well, Sabine will be able to explain a little,” said Sands.

“Yes,” said Sabine. “When I was checking on one of our prisoners before, I noticed that the branches had been moved and her horse was standing near the revealed crack. The Soulriders are going to try to free her.”

“Well you didn’t exactly do a great job of hiding the evidence,” said Katja. “Those branches didn’t even half cover the silhouette, and the magic would’ve been leaking out of the crack.”

“Oh, just like our plans leaked through your psychic bond?” Sabine taunted. She laughed.

“Hey, stop it,” said Jessica. “Pick on the weak spots of our enemies, not your sister.”

“Jessica is right, Sabine,” said Sands. “Stop picking on her. If you weren’t needed for firepower, I’d threaten to leave you at home.”

Sabine left her alone after that, and Katja tried to concentrate on what was being said. According to one of their spies, the girl would be coming here at midnight to water the tree and wake it. It was all in an attempt to bring back the Star from Pandoria.

“And you think that this will work?” asked Jessica.

“Yes, it will,” said Katja. “The roots of the primeval trees do reach to Pandoria. I saw plenty of them while I was there.”

“Did you see our prisoners while you were there?” asked Sabine.

“No,” said Katja. “I was in a different part of it.” She must have looked sad, because Jessica hugged her.

“It’s okay, you’re back home and safe now,” said Jessica. “You’re out of that awful place.”

“I know,” said Katja. She hadn’t realised that she’d looked as upset as she felt. But now that Jess had pointed it out, she could feel herself shaking. And her cheeks were wet with tears.

Pandoria had definitely left its mark on her. Like a shadow, only it could never go away. But Katja didn’t have time for this self-pity. She had to listen to the plans and find out what her role in the night would be.

It was decided that Jessica would set out a trap for the unsuspecting rider to step in. Then, one of them would pounce on her and chain her up before taking her somewhere to imprison her.

“We’ll put her somewhere that not even old trees can rescue her from,” said Sabine with a gleeful cackle.

“And make sure that the chains are either enchanted or made from a material that saps her power,” said Katja. “I think I know of one that will work. It worked on me just fine.”

She really shouldn’t have tried to remember that. It brought back all too fresh memories of pain and powerlessness and draining magic. She couldn’t breathe, and yet somehow she was screaming. She wanted to forget but she was trapped in a memory.

“Make it stop,” she said, her voice only a whimper in the darkness of her room back on the oil rig.

“I don’t know how to deal with this,” she heard Jessica call to someone further away.

“She likes you the most, you have to deal with her,” Sabine called back. “I’ve got to take these chains to our witch for enchanting, I’ll see you later.”

“Well she’s right about that,” said Jess. “Hey, are you okay now? You’re not screaming or hyperventilating anymore so that has to be a good thing.”

“No,” said Katja. “I’m not. I keep remembering and I don’t want to remember. They made him forget me so why can’t someone make me forget being there?”

“Um. Yeah, I’ve got nothing,” said Jess. “Just try to forget? I don’t know. Maybe we’ll just avoid any pink topics when it comes to you.”

Katja didn’t know whether or not that would work. It seemed impossible, considering how important the place was. But it was worth a try. And maybe one day the shadow wouldn’t be so dark.


	6. Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katja practices hiding in the forest

Katja was finally allowed to roam Jorvik freely. She’d been waiting for this day for ages but finally, finally, she was given free reign so to speak. She was back on her horse, free, and without anyone breathing down her neck or watching over her like a hawk. The feeling was so great that she decided to celebrate with a ride.

At first, Katja had wanted to go to Goldenleaf Forest. She hadn’t even been able to get through the gates to Golden Hills Valley, though. The runestones burned her, so she quickly turned Stalker and begged him to gallop as fast as he could away from there. Maybe she could outrun her memories of Pandoria that the burning had recalled.

As it turned out, she could. Stalker raced over the land where a forest had once grown wild, giving the rune stones a wide berth. She thanked him for that, but they probably would have hurt him too.

“Of course they would have hurt me,” he said to her. She still wasn’t entirely used to Stalker being able to speak, although she had had him back now for a few weeks. Their bond was strong, though, and a comfort.

“Oh right, forgot you could talk,” said Katja. “I want to go to a forest. I can practice stealth stuff there, and hiding.”

“It is a little hard to be stealthy in white,” said Stalker.

“Shut up, you sound like dad,” Katja snapped at him. “I don’t wanna freeze my butt off in that frozen wasteland, and Golden is out for obvious reasons.”

Stalker snorted but galloped into the forest anyway, quickly getting lost in the trees.

“Excellent,” said Katja. “Go hide somewhere, I’ll practice hiding and being sneaky in the forest. Sabine won’t be the only one who can do forest missions.”

Stalker did as he was bid, and Katja searched for a place to try climbing a tree. Unfortunately, the trees in Greendale were sadly lacking in the limbs department. She hadn’t climbed a tree since the forest had stood in the Forgotten Fields. Even then, she’d been repelled eventually by the strong magic of the sentinels. That magic had diminished significantly after the humans had cut down one of the trees, but by then there weren’t enough trees left to climb anyway.

Katja followed some flower bushes. The whiteness of the flowers seemed like a good omen or something. Or maybe it was just a coincidence. She liked it anyway. A few times she lost the trail, but she always found it again. At last, Katja stepped over a few logs and found herself standing at the foot of a ladder. She couldn’t hear anyone in the treehouse above, nor could she sense someone. So she climbed the ladder.

The treehouse was cute enough. It had some books, some pictures, and some various snackfoods. It looked like the hideout of a couple. Maybe a teenaged one. Katja violently pushed away the memory of her own ‘teenaged’ couple experiences and instead looked out at the forest from her new vantage point.

Many of the treetops were below her from up here. But there were some branches close to the treehouse. Within jumping distance, really. If she jumped on a horse or spontaneously grew wings or learned to fly. Still, it was worth a shot.

Katja jumped from the treehouse, fingers reaching for the branch, and quickly found herself on the ground.

“Damn it,” she cursed, getting to her feet. Her nice white coat was all dirty now, and the feeling of bones mending was too weird. Stupid trees being too far apart.

Deciding to give up on climbing trees for now, Katja instead looked for hiding places. There were plenty of random cliffs and gaps, as well as branches leading up to higher places where she could hide and have a good view of everything.

Unfortunately, all of these hiding places were out because Katja knew for a fact that two racetracks ran through this forest. But there were a lot of bushes to hide in. She stood at the base of the treehouse and called her horse through the mental link.

“Did you achieve your goals?” asked Stalker as he trotted up to her.

“Yes,” said Katja. “Well, almost. I found some hiding places at least. Mostly bushes.”

“You should try them out,” said Stalker. “Just hide and wait for someone to ride through. I will hide over by the cliffs.”

Stalker trotted away and Katja hid in a bush to await the stomping of hooves that would signal an approaching rider. While she waited, she looked at her clothes with disdain. They were filthy, stained with grass and dirt and all of the filthy muck from the forest floor. Those stains would never come out.

It made sense now why Sabine was the only one who did the forest missions. That girl didn’t care one bit about her personal appearance. She supposed that it was possible, too, that Sabine’s special rider outfit didn’t stain. But that wouldn’t make Katja wear hers. She had twigs and leaves in her hair, and she grimaced as she picked them out.

Katja would definitely not be volunteering for forest missions anytime soon. Sabine could keep them.


	7. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween brings new magic to Jorvik. Katja takes advantage of this.

Halloween was the best time for anything magical. Especially those who drew their magic from a dark source. It became easier to draw power on this most magical of days. No dark portals were needed, or special rituals. All that was required was for the magic user to open their senses.

When Katja did this, she was flooded with power. It was exhilarating. Like she hadn’t been alive before but now, _now_ she was so alive and she felt amazing. She’d waited until the stroke of midnight, wanting only the best power.

It was worth the wait. With this pure, undiluted dark magic, Katja could read the thoughts of everyone on Jorvik. If she chose to. She could also influence the thoughts of everyone. She could lead an army, just like Jess, or take the souls of others with only a thought.

But someone stopped her. A hand landed on her shoulder, bringing her back down to Jorvik.

“I know that look,” said Sangordha. “Do not give in to your fantasies. It is tempting, I know. So very tempting. But if you attack with brute force alone, the Soulriders will only have to wait for you to tire before they strike back. And you know that such quantities of magic can be damaging on your body.”

“Then what am I meant to do with it all?” asked Katja. The glow of her clothes was especially bright now. So bright that she noticed that her father was squinting just to see her. She looked down and noticed that her skin was glowing too. “Hold on, I have to see what I look like.”

She left the room and ran to the bathroom, her feet barely touching the ground. She knew that she could fly with this much magic, if she wanted to. Maybe she would try.

At last, Katja reached the bathroom and looked at herself in the full-body mirror. She really was glowing. Glowing like a star. Glowing like she had when she’d been disappearing. Thinking about that didn’t hurt now, though. No, she felt too good right now for anything to bring her down. Even her eyes glowed a bright, luminous blue. She wasn’t the second-prettiest sister anymore. No, now she was the prettiest. She could have anyone she wanted. Anyone.

“Our master does not want us to fight the Soulriders just yet,” said Sangordha, watching her from the doorway.

“What is he waiting for?” asked Katja. “We’re so strong right now, and he is too. We can crush them easily.”

“It is not that simple,” said Sangordha. He walked into the room and once more put a hand on her shoulder. “Halloween boosts the magic of everyone, not just us dark ones. The Soulriders will be more powerful than ever, especially that new girl.”

“So, what?” asked Katja. “Am I just supposed to stay like this?”

“You can burn the excess magic off if you wish,” said her father. “Or you could use it to practice your magic. It is entirely up to you.”

“I want to put it to good use,” said Katja. “Can I fight one of the others?”

“Yes,” said Sands. “You can spar with Sabine. That will be a good use of your powers. And it will be good practice for when you eventually fight Lightning again.”

“Did I hear my name?” asked Sabine, suddenly appearing in the hallway and poking her head into the room. “Ooh, someone’s all glowy.”

“Dad suggested that we spar to practice and get rid of the excess energy,” said Katja.

“Interesting. But it’ll be over too soon,” said Sabine. “How about this: you and Jess fight, and the winner gets to fight me. Sound fair?”

“Hardly,” said Katja. “She fights with weapons, I only have my magic.”

“Ah, your absence is showing itself again,” said Sands. “Jessica learnt how to wield magic defensively. You have to get close to use the weapons that she prefers, so magical assaults enable her to fight better. Especially once Lightning learned a shield spell.”

“I do wish that you’d sit down with me and catch me up on all that I’ve missed,” said Katja. She felt a flash of anger and her magic responded to her thoughts by leaping out and tearing away a chunk of the bathroom wall.

“Let’s move this to the training room,” said Sabine. “We’ll wait there for Jess.”

While Sangordha walked off to find Jessica, Katja followed Sabine to the training room. She could feel her magic moving around and through her, and she smiled at the invigorating feeling. Sabine was more powerful, too, she could feel that. She hadn’t had the ability to sense magic before. It was an extremely new development, having only just happened as she noticed it.

“Is it normal to develop new powers at Halloween?” she asked her sister.

“I dunno. But you’re only young, you’ll get more powers as you get older,” said Sabine. “And you did lose all your powers for a decade or so.”

“I know,” said Katja. “I was there.” More wall was destroyed as a result of her upset feelings. “And don’t talk about it.”

“Yeah. Daddy wouldn’t like it if the base was destroyed,” said Sabine. “We could teleport to the training room, you know.”

“No,” said Katja. “I want to use all this extra magic defensively. If I can’t fight the Soulriders, I can at least fight a decent sparring partner.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” said Sabine. She walked with a skip in her step now, her boots echoing off the metal walls.

Katja followed her sister with a smile. She didn’t feel inadequate anymore. She felt like she could take on the world. Many worlds. Now she knew how Jess felt all the time. Halloween was now, officially, her favourite time of the year.


End file.
